Archive

DriveThruRPG took an amazing initiative last week by offering $5 donation and $10 donation options for Haiti relief which would be matched dollar for dollar by OneBookShelf. Wanting to find a way to help out as well, publishers asked OBS what they could do, and the result is something that can only be called inspiring.

As of today, and for the rest of January, DriveThruRPG and a multitude of publisher partners, are offering the Gamers Helping Haiti $20 Donation Bundle. When you “purchase” this product, you donate $20 to Doctors Without Borders, the recipient charity of all donations collected via DriveThruRPG. As a gift, you get a bundle of products worth over $1400.

I keep a handful of blogs on different subjects. Before, I would have them syndicate that content here into this blog as a way of making Highmoon’s Pondering an all-things-me clearing house. Problem is, I find that tactic ends up diluting this blog’s content. The Roundup is a way of keeping this blog a central info place for all the stuff I’m doing without the clutter of syndicated posts.

The Project Roundup will be done on a weekly to bi-weekly basis, depending on how much content there is on the other blogs.

I had intended to write a more thorough post on the state of the company back in March, but things have continued to transpire which have both kept me from doing that and made anything I was going to write at the moment very much invalid at this point.

As we near the end of June, and thus the first half of 2009, Highmoon Games remains in, essentially, hiatus from publishing. It has not been a good year (so far) for Highmoon Games, partly due to slumping sales and partly due to personal issues dominating my time. We were able to publish Jeremy Puckett’s Ronin: Oriental Adventures in Tokugawa Japan in its d20-compatible format but that has been it on the game supplement front. We do have other projects caught in various stages of production, including other versions of Ronin (True20 and Savage Worlds have been explored), a couple more issues of Heroic Moments, Issue 5 of Targum Magazine, a FATE/Spirit of the Century-compatible mini-setting, and True20 Ancients: Rome (this last one is done and in layout). There is also a secret project being done in conjunction with another gaming company that has not been announced yet.

On the podcast side of things, The Digital Front remains on hiatus since the beginning of the year, and as much as I want to cover certain events happening in the field of tabletop e-distribution, it has not been possible to do so. The Gamer Traveler, however, has been going very well; since turning into a blog as well as a podcast, I have been able to ramp up the number of stories published significantly, mainly because I don’t have to wait for a chance to record an episode to get them out. Episodes of the podcast have been released, but now they form an audio companion rather than the sole medium for my travel & gaming niche.

So what does the second half of 2009 hold in store? Frankly, I don’t know. The personal issue that has kept things on hold so far continues to be a major factor, so effectively Highmoon Games is to remain on hiatus until further notice. As I am able to work on some projects and bring them to fruition I’ll release them, but take those, if/when they happen, as happy surprises, not something to be expected. I am, however, not closing the company nor declaring any of the podfading any of the podcasts; I very much want to return to this endeavor once life returns to normalcy, whenever that is.

To all our customers, colleagues, supporters and friends, thank you so much for caring and inquiring and sending many well wishes.

Ronin brings you to Japan during the Edo Period, characterized by the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1868). This is the height of samurai culture, when feudal lords commanded fearsome warriors and ruled vast lands, when the mysticism of the past clashed blades with the coming of the modern age. Will you be a samurai beholden to a master or a free-ranging ronin? Will you follow the way of the sword or call upon the arcane spirits? Will you explore high society or delve into the commoner’s world? A world on the edge of turmoil awaits you.

Ronin gives players and Game Masters will find invaluable information to bring the rich historical era of the Edo Period to their games, including:

Fans of Targum Magazine will have a field day with History Channel’s new series, Battles BC. Here’s the blurb from HistoryChannel.com:

Their feats are legendary. Serving as a blueprint for warfare thousands of years later, the strategic military prowess of ancient warriors are still analyzed today. The new HISTORY™ series, BATTLES BC, uses a stunning graphic style comparable to 300, the hit feature film, to show leaders from the ancient world in some of the greatest conflicts in history. The eight episode series premieres Monday, March 9th at 9pm ET/PT on HISTORY.

These are the tales of historic battles and bloodshed. Now, with cutting edge animation techniques, and the expertise of military historians—BATTLES BC explores the strategies, tactics and weapons used by ancient commanders such as Hannibal, David, Caesar and Alexander. The truths and myths behind these heroes and villains are brought to life, in dramatic and epic proportions.

BATTLES BC provides fresh insight into the icons and events that helped shape the course of ancient history.

The series plays new episodes Mondays at 9 PM on the History Channel (check your local listing) and each episode gets replayed a few times during the week. You can even head over to the Battles BCerbium doped fiber amplifier website and see a full episode, Hannibal the Annihilator.

Gamer fans of the Ancient World will find plenty of inspiration in this series. I know I am absolutely loving it so far.

Free Game Product

Second, I am giving away for FREE (March 17-18) our St. Patrick’s Day product from last year, Heroic Moments: St. Patrick’s Day Parade (Special Edition), for the 4C System of marvelous superheroics! In this ready-to-run scenario, an ancient Celtic goddess seeks to ruin the St. Paddy’s Day parade in The City and the heroes are called in to save everyone. It comes with two pre-made heroes, too, so combine it with the free 4C System Core Rules, and you have your game set for tonight!

Enjoy this St. Patrick’s Day as much as we will and raise a pint to good gaming!

Lonnie’s working on developing a new iPhone application (the nature of it is still hush-hush), has launched a new look for his website, and made his Fantasy Thriller novel, Daughter of the Sun, available for the Kindle and iPhone platforms.

Two items in particular, however, have us really excited:

Lonnie is soon to begin publishing more fiction set in the thrilling world of Daughter of the Sun. First off is “Raising the Sun,” a short story set a millennium before the events of DotS and which will be serialized on Lonnie’s website and Facebook Fan Page; and news of continuing work on Heir of Fire, book two in the Sundered Breath trilogy.

The second item is the launch of Zero2Novel.com, Lonnie’s online course on novel writing.

The course pulls together all of the tips and techniques from my years of studying the craft of writing, along with some brand new ideas that I’ve just found on the best ways to use the mind to help you out.

Lonnie has been working on this course for a couple of years now and we are excited to see it finally done and released. If you are an aspiring novel writer, drop by Zero2Novel.com and check it out.

We wish Lonnie all the best, and we’ll continue to update everyone on further news.

January 6, 2009 (MIAMI BEACH, FL) — Highmoon Media Productions launches today its new division, Highmoon Games, transferring all of its hobby game-related business and products to it, effective immediately.

Highmoon Games will continue to produce and distribute the same excellent gaming products in support of the Open Gaming License as always, as well as expand into new areas, acting as a design studio for other 3rd-party companies, and producing materials for new game systems.

“Highmoon Media Productions was always meant to be an umbrella for various projects,” said owner Daniel M. Perez. “By launching Highmoon Games, we can use the new brand to emphasize our work in the hobby game industry, and let Highmoon Media Productions take its role as the parent company for a variety of endeavors, including The Digital Front and The Gamer Traveler Podcasts.”

You can find Highmoon Games‘ products on RPGNow.com and DriveThruRPG.com, and on the web at www.highmoon-games.com.

ABOUT HIGHMOON GAMESHighmoon Games is a Miami Beach-based e-publisher of hobby gaming products, including Ancient Adventures Magazine (formerly Targum), and designers of True20 Ancients. Highmoon Games is a division of Highmoon Media Productions, which produces The Gamer Traveler Podcast and The Digital Front Podcast. Learn more about Highmoon Games and Highmoon Media Productions at www.highmoon-games.com & www.highmoonmedia.com.

All our d20/OGL products will be deactivated for the time being while we remove all traces of the d20 license, which expires on Dec. 31, 2008. So if there is something in particular you wanted, your best bet is to get it in the next two days for only $1.00!!!